source

Six weeks after Prince’s death, members of his ’90s band the New Power Generation played three sold-out shows at the Parkway Theater to mark what would have been Prince’s 58th birthday. They’re doing it again for three nights starting June 8 at the Fine Line Music Cafe.

In the time since Prince’s death, drummer Michael Bland has developed a new relationship with his music. “I get a different sense of appreciation for it,” said Bland, a Minneapolis native who was a member of NPG for seven years. “At the same time, this profound sense of loss is inescapable. Whether or not I am playing his music, I hear it constantly. Doing this is somewhat cathartic, but whatever closure is supposed to come, well, I’m not really there yet. There’s just an empty hole, I don’t know how to explain it.”

Dubbed “This Thing Called Life: The Prince Tribute 2017,” the shows feature the core trio of Bland, keyboardist Tommy Barbarella and bassist Sonny Thompson with Greazy Meal’s Julius Collins on vocals joined by guitarists Homer O’Dell (Mint Condition) and Jeremy Ylvisaker (the Suburbs), and Ryan Liestman (Jonas Brothers) on keys. Sounds of Blackness’ Jamecia Bennett and Dave Pirner from Soul Asylum are among the special guests.

Bland was the hotshot teenage drummer for Dr. Mambo’s Combo when he first met Prince. “He had just finished the ‘Lovesexy’ tour and he came down to Bunkers to see me play,” Bland said. “He decided he had a use for me and I joined the band the following year.”

While Bland had stage experience, nothing could prepare him for Prince’s world. “It was difficult to grasp the magnitude of the situation,” he said. “I was 19. I had never been anywhere or done anything, and here I was working with this major superstar. I had nothing to compare it to and I didn’t know what to do and what not to do. So I did like they do in the Army. When it’s lunchtime, you follow the crowd with your eyes open and your mouth closed.

“Like any other boss, or anyone who takes their business seriously, Prince never accepted anything less than your best. But the difference between Prince and almost anybody else is that he wasn’t asking anybody to do anything he himself wouldn’t do.”

Prince also taught Bland that fear is not real. “Fear only exists in your mind. There is concern, there is caution, but fear is not something tangible. Prince also pushed me to always be open to a new idea, a new road and not to hold myself back with indecision. Before I met him, I was very hesitant about making mistakes. He’d ask me to play something and I’d want to think about it first. He’d say ‘Put your hands (on your instrument). You’ll find the city, then you’ll be able to find the street.’ ”

Bland’s time with Prince ended in 1996, when Prince decided to form an entirely new NPG lineup. Bland went on to play with Paul Westerberg, Chaka Khan, Jonny Lang and Maxwell. He’s been Soul Asylum’s drummer for 13 years, so he plays with the NPG and its famously fluid lineup only when he can, and he won’t be a part of the band’s European tour this summer. “My future is with Soul Asylum,” he said. “This is my way of honoring and remembering Prince in the best way possible for me.”

Michael B is so

He came into the chatroom one night until the wee hours of the morning and then after he left I had to get ready and go to work with no sleep

Very nice. Thanks for sharing.

.

Taught by the best.